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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28640382">Queen of Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbow_writer/pseuds/rainbow_writer'>rainbow_writer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awesome Gwen (Merlin), Canon Era, F/M, Gwen-centric, Implied Relationships, Implied open polyamory, M/M, Magic Ban Lifted (Merlin), Magic Revealed, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), POV Gwen (Merlin), Past Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Post-Canon, Queen Gwen (Merlin), Widowed Gwen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:33:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,255</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28640382</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbow_writer/pseuds/rainbow_writer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the long overdue repeal of the magic ban, while Queen Guinevere speaks with her first Knight, a second and unexpected guest appears bearing a revelation.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen &amp; Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Gwen Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Queen of Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You did well today, my Queen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sir Leon’s words stirred Gwen from her thoughts. She had been mired in them, as she stood by the window of her chamber, which was a habit she had learnt from Arthur some time after they had wed years ago. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once she turned to face where he stood by her chamber door, a brief, measured smile graced her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Leon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The days since Arthur had passed on then were not so few that she did not ache for him, but the further time went, the farther she was away from her then dead husband. Likewise, Gwen had been struggling privately to hold herself together, while in public she was the picture of strength, because that was what her kingdom needed of her. It was a lonely thing though, to be so powerful, but having to grieve in private for fear of appearing to be weak anywhere else. While others had the privilege of crying in the corridors along with other such public displays, the Queen did not, and it took a toll on her. Still, as time went on, she found herself appreciating the ability to effect positive change, and that was a balm to her soul, at least</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is much left to do, even with the repeal officially in effect. I imagine this transition will take time, and with that comes instability. I fear for those who might be harmed, in light of this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While some of the council members had been receptive to rescinding the magic ban, others had balked; Arthur had never accomplished it nor publicly ever suggested he would consider such a change. Were he to have done so, it was with either her or Merlin in confidence only, that she was aware of. Likewise, while he had done his best in later years to not harm or incite violence against those who could wield magic without nefarious intent, that was about as far as it had ever gotten, much to her chagrin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In contrast, Guinevere had never shared in Arthur’s hesitancy or disgust towards magic. Magic, when in the wrong hands was lethal, and had the power to bring about much destruction. Regardless, she could not abide by the immoral rule of upholding a blanket magic ban. She had watched far too many people be executed for mere suspicion, including her own father, after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suggesting a repeal though could have only come once she had been Queen alone for at least a time, which had given her a chance to prove her mettle to the council, and in doing so, led to passing it through for approval much easier than it would have shortly after Arthur had died. So, she had bided her time while mourning, then enacted her plan to bring magic back to Camelot once it was prudent to do so. It was the first marked change of her reign, but one that she hoped endured the test of time, because so many deserved for that to be the case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “As always, the Knights stand at the ready to assist or defend you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Much like with some of the council members, there had been knights who spoke out against the revocation. However, the Queen was proud to admit that none of them had been amongst the most trusted, nor were they important enough to warrant any grief over, when they chose to remove themselves from the royal retinue. It had given her pause of course, but overall, the defections so far had been minimal. Gwen could only hope that in the future, it would remain so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “It is not myself I am worried for, as I mentioned before, but I appreciate the sentiment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A firm knock sounded at the door behind Leon. Given that she had not been expecting anyone, Gwen’s eyebrows knit on her forehead. Still, she called out, “Come in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the door had swung open, it revealed Merlin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not unlike most days in the aftermath of Camlann, his eyes were filled with tears. It was clear that he had been crying earlier though, as his face was more gaunt than normal. He had shared in her sadness as no one else had, and regardless of the circumstance, a small part of her was grateful for that. No one else had known the former king better than his wife, and Merlin, of course. Merlin, who had been her friend for years, and to Arthur, he had been that, and a bit else. Since the king had perished though, Merlin had made himself scarce, and sometimes she felt he only humored her with his presence. Gwen, more than anyone else, could see the effort it took to enter anywhere that the three of them had once shared more often than not. Anytime he appeared, she was grateful, as well as elated, though. Whether his eyes were damp or not, she missed Merlin all the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Merlin, what’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After shutting the door, he crossed the length of the floor between them, and soon he was right in front of her. Up close she could see the dark circles under his eyes, and the stubble he had developed everywhere there was not great lengths of hair already growing. He looked haggard, but still, there were tears and a smile spreading on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Gwen,” he said softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Gwen could play the fool within the court if she needed, the Queen was anything but. While she could not confirm her long held suspicion on her own, Merlin’s reaction to what had just occurred gave weight to them, at the very least. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She raised an eyebrow at him, and said, “For what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Merlin swiped away some snot as well as tears, then said, “You may want to sit down, because there’s something I wish to tell you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen gingerly sat herself on a stray chair, and glanced up at Merlin. At that moment, she had eyes only for him. Her attention was briefly diverted though, when Leon cleared his throat and said, “Send for me, should you need anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the door had shut, and the First Knight’s bootsteps had faded, Merlin began speaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “There have been many times I wished to tell you this, Gwen, but I could never bring myself to. Now, that is no longer the case.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He quieted for a moment, then said, “I have magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While she had been unsure until that moment, a part of Gwen breathed a sigh of relief that the question which she had not sought a response to, had been answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the silence that followed, Gwen stood up, and went to where he had remained for a few moments, then reached out and clasped his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the most earnest voice that the Queen could muster up, she said softly, “Thank you, for trusting me with this knowledge. I imagine it must have been hard to hide such a secret, for so long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Merlin exhaled a long, shaky breath, which was punctuated by odd sounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have no idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen looked away from him for a moment, and after finding another chair, she removed one of her hands from his and pointed to it, then said, “Enlighten me then, if you’d like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smile Merlin gave her was brighter than the sun, and the tears that fell were like a spring shower amidst the radiance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is a long story.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gwen smiled up at Merlin and said, “For you, I’ll always have time.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I accidentally posted at first without adding notes, so here's my Week 1 contribution to GwenFest, which is found on Tumblr under the same name for the @. If you haven't yet heard of it, then you should definitely go check it out, as a writer or reader! I found the fest last minute, so this was written, posted, and edited within the span of a couple hours, max.  Regardless, I hope that someone might enjoy it still at least. Gwen and Merlin's friendship is one of my favorite things, so this practically wrote itself. Though I wish it could have been longer, I'm satisfied with the end of it, as it's still hopeful.</p><p>Either way, thank you for reading if you have, and I hope you all have a lovely day!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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